The National Safety Partnership of Liberia (NASAPAL) has petitioned the House of Representatives to look at ways in improving Public Safety.
As part of said effort, NASAPAL has joined a worldwide campaign of civil society organizations to advocate for safer motor roads cities and countries.
NASAPAL is a nonprofit organization registered in October 2013, and has been collaborating with ordinary people and the government to confront challenges of public safety.
The Critical exercise dubbed: #CommitToAct has brought the civil society out on the street in the same week across the world to show the reality of people’s journey.
At the same time, volunteers of society groups from country-to-country are taking snapshots of the movement of road users including vehicles and pedestrians, identifying intersections, gathering data not limited to photos, numbers of pedestrians, 30km/h zones, pedestrians facilities and trace claiming.
According to the petition presented to the House of Representatives, the group will present the data to the Global Alliance of NGOs for safety to be uploaded on its website.
NASAPAL, the first Liberian road safety organization to join the Global Alliance of NOGs for road safety is undertaking strategic activities and collecting data will contribute to the #CommitToAct campaign.
It can be recalled that From 2007 to 2010, NASAPAL has conducted a public safety survey with emphasis on road safety in 11 of Liberia’s 15 counties.
According to the petition, the survey found out more than 90 percent of drivers were self-taught; more than 95 percent of drivers and pedestrians knew little about their responsibilities; more than 90 percent of drivers unaware of Liberia’s road safety policy due to inadequate information ; and more than 85 percent of road users knew little about the relevance of vehicle insurance.
Moreover, the group stated that the government kept improper record of road incidents and data of vehicles; drivers’ schools used self-designed and disjointed curricula.
“Many road users are disrespectful to the police because the officers worked unprofessionally, while some road peddlers abused public facilities and disrespected public policy enforcers, and public officials disrespected ordinary people in performing their duties in reactions to harmful public safety”, the group added.
In order to solve some of the road safety issues in Liberia, NASAPAL has recommended to the Liberia Legislature, to
Ensure enforcement of law that safeguards road users including pressing charging reckless perpetrators of road accidents with manslaughter and other tougher penalties; and the Pressing for development of standard-curricula for drivers’ education.
Others are the Increase in budgetary allotments for state functionaries in the frontline of public safety including road safety; Ensure Policies on insurance firms, intensify outreach to road users;
Ensure training for all road users because they must enjoy equal access to the road; as well as
Ensure regulations on the use of roads be taught across the country to curb violence and reduce fatalities and injuries.
Additional, recommendations include, the Pushing for compulsory driver’s education subsidized by the government;
Ensure alcohol and tobacco control law is enacted to safeguard against the sale of the products;
Increase police salaries to a minimum of LD$ 100, 000 to discourage soliciting and receiving bribes; as well as
Ensure police officers that engage in malpractices are disrobed, and enact that citizens photograph duty police officers, and duty officers carry body cameras in order to check what they do at work among others.
